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Title: Legacy of the Sword

Subtitle: Chronicles of the Cheysuli, Book 3

Author: Jennifer Roberson

Narrator: Bronson Pinchot

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-11-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 29 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

For decades, the magical race of shapeshifters called the Cheysuli have been feared and hated exiles in their own land, a land they rightfully should rule. Victims of a vengeful monarch's war of annihilation and a usurper king's tyrannical reign, the Cheysuli clans have nearly vanished from the world. Now in the aftermath of the revolution which overthrew the hated tyrant, Prince Donal is being trained as the first Cheysuli in generations to assume the throne. But will he be able to overcome the prejudice of a populace afraid of his special magic and succeed in uniting the realm in its life and death battle against enemy armies and evil magicians?

Members Reviews:

Kind of Boring

I had trouble following it and fell asleep many times. It definitely did not show her best work. Still I just bought another in the series so you do not want to miss the middle of the series.

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Title: Working God's Mischief

Subtitle: The Instrumentalities of the Night, Book 4

Author: Glen Cook

Narrator: Erik Synnestvedt

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-11-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 32 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Arnhand, Castauriga, and Navaya lost their kings.

The Grail Empire lost its empress.

The Church lost its Patriarch, though he lives on as a fugitive.

The Night lost Kharoulke the Windwalker, an emperor amongst the most primal and terrible gods.

The Night goes on, in dread. The world goes on, in dread. The ice builds and slides southward. New kings come.

A new empress will rule.

Another rump polishes the Patriarchal Throne. But there is something new under the sun. The oldest and fiercest of the Instrumentalities has been destroyed--by a mortal. There is no new Windwalker, nor will there ever be.

The world, battered by savage change, limps toward its destiny. And the ice is coming.

Working God's Mischief is the savage, astounding new novel of The Instrumentalities of Night, by Glen Cook, a modern master of military fantasy.

Members Reviews:

Sabotaged by "performance"

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The narration makes listening to this story take effort and patience. I have some pretty severe deficits in my reading speed when compared to most people my age. Many of the Audible narrators significantly outpace my comfortable reading speed. Listening to audible is often a more efficient and more pleasant way to work my way through my favorite series. After about an hour of this book, I was checking prices to see if buying a hard copy was feasible.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Working God's Mischief?

The first three minutes of the book were the most memorable for me. I had time to think "That's right, Erik Synnestvedt(I guarantee I did not pronounce this name correctly even in my head) narrates this series. I wonder if he's on a ventilator. That would explain the odd phrasing of every sentence and the one to three second pauses between every few words."

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Erik Synnestvedt?

The original amazon kindle text to speak software would have been a slight improvement over this audio experience.

Was Working God's Mischief worth the listening time?

Ten hours of text spread over twenty hours of listening time. What a bargain!

Any additional comments?

I am somewhat ashamed of this review. I don't often leave feedback, and leaving negative feedback makes me very uncomfortable. If you like the series, my recommendation is you obtain a text version of this book.

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Title: Thieves' House: A Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Adventure

Author: Fritz Leiber

Narrator: Jonathan Davis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-11-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

A classic tale featuring two of the most-memorable characters in sword and sorcery, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.

Over a span of 50 years, the late Fritz Leiber wrote dozens of adventures, set in the fictional city of Lankhmar, featuring the seven-foot-tall barbarian and the diminuitive thief. The stories were recognized with both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.

Members Reviews:

First-rate story and performance!

This is one of Leiber's better short stories and the performance was wonderful -- I highly recommend it.

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Title: The Song of Homana

Subtitle: Chronicles of the Cheysuli, Book 2

Author: Jennifer Roberson

Narrator: Bronson Pinchot

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 03-11-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 46 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

For five long years the land of Homana had been strangling in the grasp of a usurper kingits people ravaged by strife, poverty and despair; its magical race, the Cheysuli, forced to flee or face extermination at the hands of their evil counterparts, the sorcerous Ilhini.

The time had come for Prince Carillon, Homana's rightful ruler, to return from exile with his Cheysuli liege man, free his land from the evil domination of the tyrant Bellam and his villainous magicians, restore the Cheysuli to their rightful position of grace, and claim his birthright. To do this, he would not only have to raise an army, but overcome the fear and prejudice of an ignorant population and answer the call of a prophecy he never chose to serve!

Members Reviews:

plummy narration and unlikeable hero

I had to put this book down in the middle because I just couldn't listen to any more of it. With a different narrator, I probably would have at least finished, but Mr. Pinchot was not to my taste. The pacing was too slow and the voice too plummy.

As to the story, I read some of these books many years ago when they were first published and I was much younger. I recall liking them. Now that I'm fiftysomething, though, I just couldn't relate to the characters, particularly the hero.

I pretty much lost all respect for and interest in Carillon at the point when he decided on sight that he would "have" this woman, come what may. What's a little murder and forced marriage if you're feeling lusty, after all? Ugh. Not only despicable, but a very shallow characterization.

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Title: Shirewode

Subtitle: The Wode, Book 2

Author: J Tullos Hennig

Narrator: Ross Pendleton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-21-14

Publisher: DSP Publications

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 44 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Book Two of the Wode

The King of the Shire Wode. That is what they will call you.

Years ago, a pagan commoner named Rob of Loxley befriended Gamelyn Boundys, a nobleman's son, against seemingly insurmountable odds-and with horrific consequences. His home razed by order of the Church, Rob was left for dead, believing his sister, Marion, and his lover, Gamelyn, had perished.

But Gamelyn yet lives. Guilt-ridden by his unwitting betrayal of Loxley, one of the last bastions of the Old Religion, Gamelyn rides off to seek absolution in the Holy Land. Rob vanishes into the greenwode and emerges as leader of a tight-knit band of outcasts who revolt against the powers that be.

When the two lovers meet again, it will be in a brutal, blindfolded game of foxes and hounds that pits Templar assassin against Heathen outlaw. Yet the past cannot be denied, and when Rob discovers Marion is also still alive, the game turns. History will chronicle Robyn Hood and Guy of Gisbourne as the deadliest of enemies, but the reality is more complicated-and infinitely more tragic.

Members Reviews:

epic

I love this series so freaking much. It is smartly written, I would almost think this was the original tale written so long ago. I really hope the rest comes out on audio. These stories and this narrator are life

Brilliant Sequel

Where does Shirewode rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

Near the top

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked the two male protagonists about the same

Which character as performed by Ross Pendleton was your favourite?

Robin

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The romance scene

Any additional comments?

Greenwode was one of the most powerful books I've ever read, so Shirewode had a hard act to follow. It managed it. The author has a tendency to over use certain phrases, but Shirewode is a powerful story of two men facing up to who they were and who they have become. Recommended for fans of the Robin Hood legend.

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Title: The Princes of the Golden Cage

Subtitle: Prince Amir, Book 1

Author: Nathalie Mallet

Narrator: David Marantz

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-27-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Prince Amir lives in a lavish and beautiful cage. He lives in a palace with hundreds of his brothers, all barred by law from ever leaving the palace until he, or one of his brothers, becomes the next Sultan. Living under constant threat of death at the hands of his scheming brothers, Amir has chosen a life of solitude and study.

His scholarly and alchemical pursuits bring him under suspicion when his brothers begin to die from seemingly supernatural means. Amir finds himself thrown together with his brother Erik, the son of a barbarian princess. Together they must discover the dark secret that is stalking the halls of their golden cage.

Members Reviews:

In a not too distant world than our own, a variation on fable and history

Last night, I really needed some escapist reading. A recent purchase of Natalie Mallet's novel, The Princes of the Golden Cage looked to be a good choice, harkening back to the heady days of the 1970's, and the rise of a new genre in fiction -- that of the sword-and-sorcery epic, where all the heroes were flashy swordsmen, the settings exotic, and magic being of the dire and deadly kind.

In the kingdom of Telfar, the sultan's many sons are kept in opulent imprisonment in a very gilded cage. They are allowed anything, from military training, books, even women, everything that is, but freedom. Even leaving the Cage, as it is called, can bring death. So the princes form plots, and alliances among themselves, wondering who will be the next Sultan and who will be dead.

The story is told from the point of view of Amir, a young princeling who has turned his hours to studying. Along with learning swordplay, Amir keeps a very healthy sense of paranoia about him, knowing that it's not unheard of for a prince to have an unfortunate accident or two. And Amir knows that he's a prime target. His rooms are located between two of his brothers, one who is mad and screams, and another who is mad and mumbles a lot. While Amir does his best to care for them both, he's not completely altrustic -- they make good watchdogs, creating quite a ruckus when someone unknown comes into their section of the Cage.

Lately, there's been quite a few new people showing up at Amir's door. Despite all of his care to stay unknown and safe, he is approached by the Grand Vizier to do some investigating. Seems that every time there's a full moon, a prince has turned up dead, killed by some unknown assailant. Whispers of magic are starting, and Amir thinks that it's all bosh -- there's no such thing as magic, at least according to his self-taught, scientific mind. But he can't exactly say no to the Vizier either, and so we follow Amir as he starts to explore the Cage a bit more, and discover his many, many brothers as well...

Especially Erik, a blond, blue-eyed brother in this desert kingdom, who not is only skilled and ambitious, but also downright friendly. Maybe just a bit too friendly, actually...

To be honest, I was prepared to see something rather trite and dull, another tired retread of a fantasy theme. But I was surprised at just how complex and funny this novel was.

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Title: Imaro 2: The Quest for Cush

Author: Charles Saunders

Narrator: Mirron Willis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-21-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

It begins with the reunion of Imaro and his kidnapped lover Tanisha, who has been taken to the ruined City of Madness. With the help of their new found friend Pomphis, a Pygmay from the eastern forests of Nyumbani, they learn of the sorcerous forces that may have been behind the dark wizard that destroyed Imaro's youth.

The trio goes to Mavindi, the port capital of the Eastern Coastal kingdom of Azania, in search of the legendary Kingdom of Cush, where Imaro hopes to find answers to the questions that have plagued his life. Who is he? Who was his father, and why was he seemingly cursed, and hounded from birth by forces beyond his control.

Members Reviews:

my new fav author. great read/listen.

will be looking for his other works...both fiction and non fiction. very relatable. as a fan of r a salvatore; stumbling into charles saunders has been a great breath of fresh air. its great to see be introduced to black skined character who is not slave or overtly evil.

Imaro!

can't wait for third book on audio release. for a book that was written almost 30 year ago it was very entertaining

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Title: Master of the Cauldron

Subtitle: Lord of the Isles, Book 6

Author: David Drake

Narrator: Michael Page

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-27-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Garric - or Reise - was born the son of an innkeeper in Barca's Hamlet on the Isle of Haft, but through valor and determination became first a prince and then the Regent and successor to the feeble Valence III, King of the Isles.

But the Kingdom is weak, its rule barely extending past the island of Ornifal. The Isles need a strong king to bring unity, because danger is coming. Magic is stronger now than at any time since the fall of the Old Kingdom in a cataclysm of uncontrolled magic. Evil is growing in the spaces beyond the world, waiting to complete the destruction begun a millennium before.

Only if the Isles are united into a strong New Kingdom can humanity survive. Garric has sworn to become a true Lord of the Isles. Standing with him are his sister, Sharina; his friend and Sharina's lover, the shepherd Cashel; and Cashel's sister, the weaver-witch Ilsa. They have been to Hell and back together in their quest...to save humanity.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

nice series

One of my favorites in the series..

..wait, they're all my favorite.

Five Stars

love this series worth the time to read

boring

Boring! Throughout the whole book, spend an excessive amount of time developing character backgrounds you already know about from previous books in series. Lots of filler! Can't recommend. And enough already with references to Barka's Hamlet. Good God!

I want my time back!

What a waste of time!

Each book after the first is basically the same, everyone get separated, has their adventures, solves their particular problem and then they all come back together. A few new characters have been added but very little has happened to move the story along. I am certainly glad these books were purchased used, in paperback. At least all I have lost is some time. All six books will be going to Goodwill...they should most likely go in the trash.

If it were only possible to give -stars...

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Title: Antigoddess

Subtitle: The Goddess War, Book 1

Author: Kendare Blake

Narrator: Kate Reading

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-11-13

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 118 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.

Old Gods never dieor so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra - an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god. These days, Cassandra doesnt involve herself in the business of gods - in fact, she doesnt even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning. Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals dont just flicker out. Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

Members Reviews:

Young Adult meets Modern Day Greek Mythology

If you enjoy young adult books like the divergent series or Twilight, then Antigoddess should be a pleaser. Unfortunately, I found the story full of too many moments of teen angst and what if moments that adults would not have displayed. For myself, the story moved so slowly I switched to 2x narration just to keep the narrative moving enough to hold my attention. The storyline was good enough I hung around until the end to see where the action was going, but I wont be returning for the rest of the series as again, this was just too much of a young adult novel.

I would be diving into this entire series if the story focused more on the greek gods and heros and delivered action and intrigue along these lines without the teen angst.

Love Kate reading

I love Kate Reading and would listen to almost any of her narrations that said its an entertaining book

greek gods are so interesting

story was interesting but slow at times. the resurrection part was weird, you have to either go with it or not. I enjoyed the different approach to the gods.

Antigoddess great opener for a series that twines the myths with modern day

Kendare Blake does not disappoint with her new series"Antigoddess". With well written characters that take modern day life and seamlessly intertwined it with the legends of mythology that any one can appreciate. The narration was good and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

warning: it's actually YA!

I bought this book (presumably when it was on sale) on the strength of the interesting premise promised by the summary. Unfortunately, neither the summary nor the classification of the book on Audible thinks that you might want to know it's actually a YA novel.

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Title: Angel Heart

Subtitle: Glorious Companions, Book 1

Author: Summer Lee

Narrator: Julie Williams

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-22-13

Publisher: Summer Lee

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Betrayed by her mother, 18-year-old Kenana is sold into marriage to the elderly Prince Jubal of Mesopotamia. Dutiful Kenana determines to make the best of the situation, honoring her wedding vows and fulfilling her wifely responsibilities to the elderly prince. However, she cannot help but wish for what might have been - especially when her strikingly handsome Guardian Angel, Malluch, returns to her life in a very corporeal form, serving as no small distraction.

Malluch's mere presence is enough to stir feelings of unrest in Kenana, who holds fast to her resolve to remain faithful to her new husband. But Malluch's persistence grows, and the new Princess begins to question his nature - is he truly her Guardian Angel, or a creature with dubious intentions?

Kenana struggles with the events in her past and present as she attempts to forge her future in this new world she finds herself thrust into as the wife of a royal. As she takes her place as the Prince's bride, dark memories from her childhood begin to surface, serving to both explain and exacerbate her feelings of disquiet concerning her new life. She shows a strength of will and character in her ability to deal with her traumas and accept the situation she finds herself in, albeit without her choice.

And when word reaches the palace that the Nephilim, giants sired by evil angels and born of human women, seek to do her harm, Kenana is forced to flee the palace. On the run, Kenana will discover that those closest to our hearts can sometimes make the most unlikely of heroes. And, in one case, an unlikely guardian angel.

Members Reviews:

great story, couldn't put it down!

it was a great book. i could not put it down. characters were credible and i could identify with main character.